Conference Agenda and Registration: https://arabcenterdc.org/event/a-historic-juncture-israels-destruction-of-gaza-and-the-palestinian-future/
9:00 AM – Registration and Breakfast
9:30 AM – Welcome and Introduction
9:45 AM – Opening Keynote Address
The Secretary General of Amnesty International, a premier, global human rights organization, delivers keynote remarks on the situation in Gaza and human rights after the genocide.
Agnes Callamard
Secretary General, Amnesty International
Khalil E. Jahshan – Moderator
Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC
10:30 AM – Panel I
Documentation and Accountability: Genocide in Gaza
This panel examines the destruction of Gaza through multiple perspectives, assessing healthcare infrastructure destruction and its effects on public health and implications for the legal question of genocide. Participants will explore dimensions of loss beyond physical casualties: cultural heritage erasure, educational disruption, and the unraveling of Gaza’s social fabric. How has Gaza’s healthcare been systematically destroyed, and what are the long-term public health impacts? What dimensions of loss extend beyond physical casualties? How do events in Gaza challenge conventional understandings of genocide? What accountability mechanisms exist for war crimes, and who must be held responsible under international humanitarian law? Through expert analysis, this panel documents Gaza’s crisis and articulates pathways toward accountability, serving as both testimony and a call to action for upholding human rights principles.
Jehad Abusalim, Palestinian writer from Gaza; Executive Director, Institute for Palestine Studies-USA
Yara Asi, Assistant Professor at the School of Global Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida and visiting scholar at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University
Raz Segal, Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Endowed Professor in the Study of Modern Genocide, Stockton University
9:00 AM – Registration and Breakfast
9:30 AM – Welcome and Introduction
9:45 AM – Opening Keynote Address
The Secretary General of Amnesty International, a premier, global human rights organization, delivers keynote remarks on the situation in Gaza and human rights after the genocide.
Agnes Callamard
Secretary General, Amnesty International
Khalil E. Jahshan – Moderator
Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC
10:30 AM – Panel I
Documentation and Accountability: Genocide in Gaza
This panel examines the destruction of Gaza through multiple perspectives, assessing healthcare infrastructure destruction and its effects on public health and implications for the legal question of genocide. Participants will explore dimensions of loss beyond physical casualties: cultural heritage erasure, educational disruption, and the unraveling of Gaza’s social fabric. How has Gaza’s healthcare been systematically destroyed, and what are the long-term public health impacts? What dimensions of loss extend beyond physical casualties? How do events in Gaza challenge conventional understandings of genocide? What accountability mechanisms exist for war crimes, and who must be held responsible under international humanitarian law? Through expert analysis, this panel documents Gaza’s crisis and articulates pathways toward accountability, serving as both testimony and a call to action for upholding human rights principles.
Jehad Abusalim, Palestinian writer from Gaza; Executive Director, Institute for Palestine Studies-USA
Yara Asi, Assistant Professor at the School of Global Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida and visiting scholar at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University
Raz Segal, Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Endowed Professor in the Study of Modern Genocide, Stockton University
Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
Yousef Munayyer – Moderator
Head of Palestine/Israel Program and Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
12:00 PM – Networking Lunch
1:00 PM – Palestine Explained: A Sneak Peek
Arab Center Washington DC is pleased to share a brand new online resource for information on Palestine, Palestine Explained, which aims to be a one-stop-shop for all those interested in learning about and understanding Palestine.
1:20 PM – Panel II
Where to Next? Palestine After the Genocide
This panel examines critical futures for Palestinian politics, society, and international relations after the widespread devastation of Gaza. The session provides a multidimensional analysis of potential futures for Palestine, addressing internal political dynamics, international relationships, regional reconfiguration, and the evolving role of global powers. How are Palestinian political structures transforming at this pivotal moment? What dynamics are shaping Hamas’s future role? How are global solidarity movements evolving? How have events since October 7th reconfigured Middle East alliances? What shifts in U.S. policy toward Palestine can be anticipated, and what are their implications? Through expert analysis, this panel illuminates potential paths forward while acknowledging the profound challenges of rebuilding political institutions, social cohesion, and international relationships in the wake of catastrophe.
Khaled Elgindy, Visiting Scholar and Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
Zaha Hassan, Human Rights Attorney; Fellow in the Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development and the Director of the University of Maryland’s Critical Issues Poll
Tamara Kharroub – Moderator
Deputy Executive Director and Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
3:00 PM – Adjournment